André Moisan – Montreal Symphony

André Moisan is known for his consummate mastery of the instrument, his impressive musicality and the clarity of his playing. Since 1977, he has made regular concert and radio appearances as a soloist and chamber player. His numerous concerts abroad, in particular at Carnegie Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Radio-Berlin, established him as a leading performer.

In the orchestral field, Mr. Moisan has worked under renowned conductors, mainly with the OSM. He first performed with the Orchestra in 1977, under Andrew Davis, and made his first solo appearance in 1997 with Charles Dutoit. Since May 1999 he has held the position of principal saxophone and bass clarinet

Besides his work as a concert and recital artist, André Moisan is also a conductor. A co-founder, with the late Bruce Bower, of Les Vents de Montréal, he also originated one of the few clarinet choirs in Canada, at the Université de Montréal.

A member of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) since 1977, he was also a member of the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne from 1989 to 1996. The winner of many awards, André Moisan was nominated for Opus prizes in four consecutive years as soloist, chamber-music player and conductor.

A host and accomplished educator, he has led the OSM in its Youth Concerts series since 1998, and also conducts performances in the Children’s Corner series. Many times finalist, in 2003 he won the “Family Concert” Opus Prize for a concert in this series and he is finalist again in 2007 as a conductor for 2 concerts with OSM. Additionally, he conducts a number of other orchestras, in Canada and abroad. André Moisan currently teaches at the Université de Montréal, and during the summer at the Orford Arts Centre as well. He has also taught clarinet and served as a soloist and coach on many occasions with the Jeunesses Musicales of Canada World Orchestra as well as at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.

His first solo CD, Impressions de France, was recorded in 1996 and acclaimed by international critics; his second, dedicated to folk music, was released in March 1999. He can also be heard in a complete recording of Francis Poulenc’s chamber music on the Naxos label, and as conductor on a CD of Beethoven works on the ATMA label. His chamber-music album dedicated to the music of Adolphe Blanc was praised by European critics. as well as sonatas by Brahms and Jenner with world renown pianist Jean Saulnier(also on ATMA), already classified as “reference recording” by international critics. His last cd “Phantasiestuke”was release in September 2007, a tribute to less known german romantic compositions among all.

André Moisan began studying the clarinet with his father, Gilles Moisan, clarinettist at the OSM from 1952 to 1998. He continued his training with another OSM principal, Robert Crowley, and at DePaul University in Chicago with Larry Combs, principal clarinet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and then in Berlin with Karl Leister.